Welcome to The Timesheet. This column is a report of work done on behalf of the people of Hamilton County. It’s to be informative, too – a place to learn about projects and how our county government works.
As your employee, it’s important to me that you know what is being worked on as transparently as possible in county government. You hired me as your County Councilman, and my hope is that you will choose to be informed by regularly reading this column, getting involved, considering volunteering, and by asking questions.
Council meetings are at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month at the Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center in downtown Noblesville. Meetings are also available to watch online for those unable to attend in person.
Here is where my time this past month has been spent.
In addition to the County Council public meetings, December work included: attending and watching Board of Commissioners public meetings, attending and watching Noblesville and Cicero town council meetings, meeting with Kathy Williams and her team in the Clerk’s Office, meeting with Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen, meeting with Noblesville Police Chief Brad Arnold, meeting with Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam, a Council Work session, a half-day touring regulated drains with the County Surveyor, the 2026 Liability Insurance renewal meeting, and a Council Executive session.
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The in-person December personnel committee meeting was canceled in lieu of a poll of the voting committee members. The poll addressed two requests from the Legal Department: first to hire a Procurement Director above the basic compensation level for the position and the second request was to promote an Assistant County Attorney to Deputy County Attorney.
Both requests were approved and moved on to the full council for a final approval vote.
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The finance committee did not meet this past month.
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The insurance committee met to review the county’s 2026 Insurance renewals for General Liability, Property, Auto, Cyber, and similar ancillary insurance. With coverage for nearly $500 million in buildings, over a thousand employees, cars, law enforcement, jail, and more, our insurance can be tricky. As a group, all county coverages and details were reviewed at length. Just like we all do in our personal budgets, where we can save money is examined. It’s measured against where we shouldn’t save money.
Finding the correct balance of risk versus premium takes time, analysis, and a few erasers. In the end, this portion of the county’s insurance will cost the taxpayers over $2,400,000. This is an increase of $230,000 from 2025. I am confident that the coverage adequately manages the county’s risk and, although expensive, the value is in line with comparable coverages from other carriers that I researched.
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This month I received two constituent service requests and communications.
One request had to do with the cost of our health insurance benefits for county employees. It came from a business development representative for a competitor to our present health insurance solution. After researching the question, the same individual had already met with several County officials and the decision had previously been made to retain the coverages and present solution.
The second communication was a follow-up from last month regarding the increased traffic in the 171st Street and Cherry Tree Road area. The constituent asked that I drive through the intersections, which I did.
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Lastly, it was an honor to represent you this month at the Ben’s Ranch Foundation Holiday Reception and at the Shop For Kids Christmas event.
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Of note this month was taking an afternoon to tour regulated drains and ditches with the Hamilton County Surveyor, Gary Duncan. Previously, I’ve read extensively about how drainage is one of the biggest and often most contentious topics that county government oversees.
I have attended drainage board meetings and learned that half of one Commissioner’s time is spent on drainage. We walked several regulated drains throughout the county, and I learned about the enormous impact of drainage on homeowners, farmers, developers, and taxpayers. We have hundreds of miles of regulated drains in Hamilton County, and most property owners live in a regulated drain area.
Further, moving water to keep people safe in their homes and on the roadways requires an incredible amount of money, planning, and resources.
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This is my timesheet. This is where my time went during December 2025. While my job is primarily the financial oversight of the county budget, it is important that I understand the Board of Commissioners’ priorities and balance them with the stewardship of taxpayer dollars. That is the job, and I am excited to do the people’s business.
As a taxpayer myself, and listening to so many of you, our employers, it’s important for the taxpayers to have access to all the information you want. I work for you, and although you may not choose to do a deep dive into what your County Council does, it’s important that you can always do so.
Feel free to contact me at (317) 832-1104 or mark.hall@hamiltoncounty.in.gov with questions, feedback, or if you would like to talk about county business.